Term 3 was very busy for sports at Shearwater. We sent representatives from our school to the North Coast Independent Schools (NCIS) regional athletics and, for the first time, we entered the NCIS tennis and netball competitions.

The athletics carnival was held at Coffs Harbour and the tennis and netball competitions were held in Grafton during some very wet weather. It was wonderful to see the student’s enthusiasm and dedication as they represented the school at these events.

Participants in the regional Athletics carnival had a very successful day with four students continuing on to represent our school at the Combined Independent Schools (CIS) state athletics carnival in Sydney - Elvis Wallace, Matilda Vial, Wyana Pietramale-Sewell and Ezra Pitman-Blackley.

At this event, Matilda came 1st in the 200m, with a time of 28.60s, and 1st in the long jump, with a distance of 4.28m. She also came in 2nd in the 100m, with a time of 13.76s. Ezra came 4th in the shot put, with a distance of 11.24m; Elvis came in 21st in the high jump, at 1.20 metres, and Wyana achieved 23rd place in the long jump, with a distance of 3.56m.

We would like to congratulate all student participants in these events with a special mention to Matilda who has been selected for the CIS team and will continue on to the next level of competition.

It was a joy to take so many energetic and engaged students to an inter-school sporting event. Big thanks to Emma, Sonia and Rhys for helping out on the day and all the parents that came along to offer their support.

Class 6 have recently returned from an outdoor education camp at Redlands Bay near Brisbane where they spent a lot of time in harnesses, helmets and life jackets! The students enjoyed rock-climbing, abseiling, archery, canoeing, bushcraft and a variety of team-building challenges, followed by a day-trip to Brisbane which included the SparkLab Sciencentre and the Planetarium.

It was wonderful to watch the students throw themselves into the physical challenges with such enthusiasm and confidence in their bodies, push their boundaries and negotiate the difficulties of working together as a team, especially when faced with the task of making a raft with four barrels, six poles, a few lengths of rope (and no instructions) in 25 minutes!

The young child learns through imitation and through social play with peers. ​For our Preschool children, this term (as always) has been a time of ‘doing’, with imagination and creativity. You can see from the photos above all of the amazing things we have been doing including: climbing and exploring in Grandfather Fig tree; working together to make cubbies; helping to take care of our guinea pigs; reading stories to each other and going for adventures sailing on the sea. ​ With the arrival of spring, we have started to notice new growth and new creatures joining us in the garden. The following is one of our favourite spring songs, (sung while we all hold onto the waist of person in front and make a great big caterpillar line!).

Many Legs CaterpillarHas many, many, many, many legs.Many Legs Caterpillar has many, many, many, many legs.Across the garden he does run,Following the light of the golden sunWith all his friends, he does roamUntil he finds a place for a cosy home…Many Legs Caterpillar has many, many, many, many legs.Many Legs Caterpillar has many, many, many, many legs

Last Friday was the 37th annual International day of Peace, first established by the United Nations General Assembly. It is meant to be a day of ceasefire where there is a concerted effort around the globe to pay heed to, respect and embody, the practice of non-violence. To play our part in this, some of our Year 8 Geography students created and submitted art works to the Peace Pals International Art Exhibition. The theme of this year’s art was; May peace prevail on Earth. How do we make change in the world? This is a question that often comes up in HSIE. Historically, change has often been alchemised, with sparks ignited through the non-violent yet powerful creations of art and music, protest and prayer. This year, we sent our he(art)s and our prayers, joining 6000 other children from 79 countries around the world. Here are some of Yr 8’s offerings and the certificates they received. Nikki TreanorHSIE Teacher

Last week a small group of Class 7 and Year 8 students, along with students from a number of local high schools, attended the AIME Program held at Southern Cross University. The AIME mentoring program provides a bridge from high school to positive post-secondary pathways — college, training and employment — for disadvantaged youth. Originating in Australia with the goal of helping indigenous youth make this transition, the core of the AIME program involves university student volunteers providing mentoring experiences to middle and high school students in need. AIME provides a six-year, comprehensive School of Life for students aged 12 to 18, attending grades 7-12. The program’s interrelated components include: one-on-one mentoring; exposure to role models via media resources; university campus visits and events; group mentoring; tutoring; and self-actualisation activities.The AIME mentoring program has been highly effective in Australia, helping indigenous students achieve the same high school completion and post-secondary success rates as their non-indigenous peers. The program’s design allows customisation to meet the specific needs of various cultures. ​Our students had a wonderful day and involved themselves with various individual and group activities, including ‘what are my dreams’, ‘how to actualise my dreams’, ‘who can mentor me to actualise my dreams’.Praba Manning

The year 12 Showcase was held over two nights this year due to the large number of Drama and Music students in the class. This was a wonderful opportunity for all the students to perform, and allowed audiences to enjoy the displays of art works, design projects, Extension English pieces, Society and Culture Personal Interest Projects, Marine Studies projects and photography exhibitions, over an extended period of time without rushing. The works and performances were of a high standard and both evenings were outstanding. The Year 12 Guardians congratulate all the students on their achievements and thank all the teachers, support staff and parents that contributed to the Showcase.Margaret BrandoliniYear 12

Shearwater students, pictured with their Guardians, attended a graduation ceremony at Southern Cross this week, after they completed the university's Head-Start program. Congratulations to all of these students on their success.

Seven senior Shearwater students graduated from the Head-Start program at Southern Cross University this week, several achieving top results in their courses. The Head-Start program allows school students to enrol in a unit at university, alongside first-year tertiary students, attending classes one day a week for 13 weeks and giving them an experience of university life. Completed units may contribute to their HSC and provide pathways into Southern Cross University.Special mention to Year 11 student Oliver Bora for achieving a Distinction in Processes and Philosophy of Engineering and to Year 12 student Jason Howarth who received a Distinction in Visual Communication and Design. An extra special mention to Year 12 student Lorien Davis who achieved a High Distinction, and was the top Head-Start student, in the Visual Communication and Design course.​Other units on offer as part of the program are Biology and Communication in Organisations.

After our nourishing winter break, the children of Birdsong Kindy came back rested and ready for busy Kindy work. As we transitioned from the cold winter months into spring, we heard the stories of Wallow Whale and his family, who made the long journey from the icy southern waters to the warm waters of Golden Bay, where Mama Whale would have her baby. Along the way he met many new friends, including Diver Dolphin, Careena Green Turtle, the Rainbow Sparkle Fish and of course, passed by Blink Wink Lighthouse. We learnt many new songs of the sea and the children’s clever hands began finger knitting the rainbow colours that will eventually be woven together to make the shell of their very own turtle.To finish our Wallow stories, the class took the bus to visit Blink Wink, and to look out for Wallow and his friends and family. It was our lucky day, as the water was clear and we saw many whales splashing and waving their tails. The children will tell you that we saw more than 100 whales ("what’s the biggest number, Kat?") as well as Diver and Silver Seagull, and Busy Bush Turkey. We finished the day with a picnic and a play in the park. Fun was had by all.Now, spring days have arrived! A big thank you to all the parents and staff who contributed to a wonderful Spring Fair, helping all our children to celebrate and welcome the change of season. Now in Birdsong, we sing of the birds, bees, butterflies, and rain! We hear the stories of Lady Spring’s Garden as we begin our preparation for our Spring Festival, when we look forward to celebrating with our families again.Kat BarwickBirdsong Kindergarten

Literacy skills are a foundational aspect of communication and expression, and the relationship of the individual student to language is central to their cognitive, socio-emotional and spiritual development. Now that we are in Class 2, and a good way through our formal reading program, our excitement for reading sentences in books has expanded to include the creation of our own sentences. In class 2N, the current literacy main lesson is called ‘Bugs in a Blanket’. The children are exploring the basic elements of who they are as individuals and what that looks like when we come together as a group. We have been looking at the differences between us, and discovering what makes us unique and the ways in which we are the same. The students have imagined themselves as bugs and, through the use of descriptive language, have created their first real project - a children’s story book.The children have been guided through the process of creating their own sentences and drafting a rough copy. When our good copies are ready, we will read them to one of the younger classes.Nick VuorinenClass 2